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Department of Pharmacology and Brain Biostructure
Scientific profile
- About department
- Employees
- Laboratories
Research profile
The research interests of the Department of Pharmacology and Brain Biostructure are centered on neurodevelopmental models of schizophrenia. Specifically, our investigations are aimed at identifying the neural substrates underlying behavioral deficits typical for schizophrenia and the discovery of novel potential targets for antipsychotic substances. Another important aspect of our research involves environmental factors (early life stress, enriched environment) that influence brain development and its susceptibility to mental disorders such as anxiety, schizophrenia, cognitive deficits and depression.
Research methods
Behavioral: neurodevelopmental models of schizophrenia, experimental models of stress – maternal separation in the postnatal period, fear conditioning paradigm – the acquisition, retention and extinction of memory traces, sensory motor gating paradigm, novel object recognition test, delayed alternation test, social interaction test, food-preference test, latent inhibition test.
Immunohistochemistry and neuroanatomy: brain tissue staining for identification of specific proteins and their colocalization – microscopic techniques based on light microscopy, fluorescence and laser confocal microscopy, stereological techniques. Stereotactic and iontophoretic techniques of retrograde marker delivery. Methods to assess adult brain neurogenesis.
Biochemistry and molecular biology: protein expression: Western blot, ELISA, protein macroarrays; Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription, chromatin precipitation.
Electrophysiology: in vitro measurements of long-term synaptic potentiation and depression.
Employees
Professor Krystyna Gołembiowska, dr hab.
+48 12 6623211 
nfgolemb@cyf-kr.edu.pl 
room Ojcowska Agnieszka Chocyk, dr hab.
+48 12 6623229
chocyk@if-pan.krakow.pl
room 237 Zofia Rogóż, dr hab.
+48 12 6623279
rogoz@if-pan.krakow.pl
room 103 Wiktor Bilecki, dr
+48 12 6623329
bilecki@if-pan.krakow.pl
room 237 Anna Solarz-Andrzejewska, dr
+48 12 6623246
solarz@if-pan.krakow.pl
room 214 Agnieszka Wawrzczak-Bargieła, dr
+48 12 6623329
bargiela@if-pan.krakow.pl
room 241 Magdalena Tertil, dr
+48 12 3343707
tertil@if-pan.krakow.pl
room Pokój: 1.5 Cephares Weronika Kumorek, inż.
kumorek@if-pan.krakow.pl
room 214 Agnieszka Bysiek, mgr
+48 12 6623303
bysiek@if-pan.krakow.pl
room Ojcowska Beata Zemła
+48 12 6623211
zemla@if-pan.krakow.pl
room 232 Employees
Achievements
- Publications
8-OHDPAT-induced disruption of prepulse inhibition in rats is attenuated by prolonged corticosterone treatment
Czyrak, A., Maćkowiak, M., Chocyk, A., Fijał, K., Ga̧dek-Michalska, A., Wȩdzony, K.
DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1300165
Prolonged corticosterone treatment alters the responsiveness of 5-HT<inf>1A</inf> receptors to 8-OH-DPAT in rat CA1 hippocampal neurons
Czyrak, A., Maćkowiak, M., Chocyk, A., Fijał, K., Tokarski, K., Bijak, M., Wȩdzony, K.
DOI: 10.1007/s00210-002-0586-2
DOI, an agonist of 5-HT<inf>2A/2C</inf> serotonin receptor, alters the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in the rat parietal cortex
Mackowiak, M., Chocyk, A., Sanak, M., Czyrak, A., Fijal, K., Wedzony, K.
DOI:
Cortical localization of dopamine D4 receptors in the rat brain - Immunocytochemical study
Wȩdzony, K., Chocyk, A., Maćkowiak, M., Fijał, K., Czyrak, A.
DOI:
Distribution of dopamine D1 receptors in the paraventricular nucleus of the rat hypothalamus and their colocalization with phosphorylated forms of CREB protein,Dystrybucja receptorów dopaminowych D1 w jadrze przykomorowym podwzgórza mózgu szczura oraz ich kolokalizacja z ufosforylowana forma białka CREB.
Chocyk, A., Szumierz, K., Wedzony, K., Czyrak, A.
DOI:
WAY 100135, an antagonist of 5-HT1A serotonin receptors, attenuates psychotomimetic effects of MK-801
Wȩdzony, K., MaćKowiak, M., Zaja̧czkowski, W., Fijal, K., Chocyk, A., Czyrak, A.
DOI: 10.1016/S0893-133X(00)00150-0
Distribution of dopamine D1 receptors in the nucleus paraventricularis of the hypothalamus in rats: An immunohistochemical study
Czyrak, A., Chocyk, A., Makowiak, M., Fijal, K., Wedzony, K.
DOI: 10.1016/S0169-328X(00)00240-0
c-Fos proteins, induced by the serotonin receptor agonist DOI, are not expressed in 5-HT2A positive cortical neurons
MaćKowiak, M., Chocyk, A., Fijał, K., Czyrak, A., Wȩdzony, K.
DOI: 10.1016/S0169-328X(99)00195-3
Impact of metyrapone on MK-801-induced alterations in the rat dopamine D<inf>1</inf> receptors
Czyrak, A., Maćkowiak, M., Fijał, K., Chocyk, A., Wedzony, K.
DOI:
The effect of antidepressant drugs on the locomotor hyperactivity induced by MK-801, a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist
Maj, J., Rogóz, Z., Skuza, G., Sowińska, H.
DOI: 10.1016/0028-3908(92)90147-H
